Warriors put stake in Brisbane heartland with academy
The fourth-placed Warriors will establish a training academy and community program in the city in Brisbane's south to offer an elite training and identification program and assist young people connect with sport and find career paths outside of footy.
Cameron Smith, Lote Tuqiri, Corey Parker, Brad Meyers, Josh Papalii and Jaydn Su'A are just a taste of the elite stars to have been produced by the Logan Brothers junior powerhouse club alone.
The Warriors have watched on as a suite of their best junior players joined Australian-based clubs on scholarships and moved into elite development systems.
The great Benji Marshall was a trailblazer who attended league powerhouse Keebra Park High on the Gold Coast as a youth before moving into the Wests Tigers system.
His move inspired a suite of players from New Zealand to follow suit and most of them were snapped up by NSW or Queensland-based clubs.
The new academy at Logan will help reverse that trend and with the huge number of New Zealand-born migrants in southeast Queensland will give them great access to elite youth, not just from Pacific nations but also local talent.
Warriors boss Cameron George said the club would establish permanent staff in Logan to work closely with the community.
"As a club, we focus on the person first and foremost. It's not just about footy – it's about providing opportunities to all young people so they can reach their potential," he said.
"Our elite academy for boys and girls in Logan will provide a direct pathway to the Warriors NRL and NRLW teams.
"Through the community program we'll also be offering come-and-try days, school visits and talent identification."
The Broncos, Gold Coast and most recently Dolphins have been in the best position to source juniors from their near neighbour Logan but now the Warriors are set to be a force.
The partnership with Logan City Council is one that Mayor Jon Raven said should fit hand in glove.
"Logan is the leading rugby league nursery in the nation and has one of the largest populations of people of New Zealand and Pacific Island descent outside of Auckland," he said.
"The Warriors are known for their strong community connections and supporting development opportunities for young people, which are values we love here in Logan."
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